Underpaid Athletes

The sports media is rife with stories about professional athletes who make buckets of money playing the game they love. But up-and-comers struggling in the bush leagues, or learning their craft on a developmental circuit, earn surprisingly little. Many are forced to work off hours, or during the off-season, to keep alive the dream of making The Big Time.

Minyanville tracked down five rising stars who hope to become household names in their sport and asked them how they balance dreams of glory with the monthly rent.

Here are their stories:

	Corey Lane Plays semi-pro football for the New Jersey Buccaneers and dreams of rushing and returning punts in the NFL. He answers phones for Verizon to feed his family.
	Jean Bourbeau Plays for the Odessa (Texas) Jackalopes in the Central Hockey League with the hope of making the NHL. He works in construction during the off-season.
	Paul Harraka Mixes college with NASCAR racing, earning Camping World Series West Rookie of the Year honors. Paulie, as he’s known at the track, studies on a scholarship at Duke University between races.
	Trent Kline Learns the craft of baseball playing for the San Jose Giants in the California League and dreams of catching in the Majors. He loads trucks in the off-season so he can continue to play pro ball after a successful college career.
	Alistair Presnell Just about breaks even whacking golf balls on the Nationwide PGA Tour. Travel expenses consume most of his winnings, but it beats working as an air conditioning technician -- even if he has yet to line up any endorsements.